But for the grace of .... sheer luck

10 August 2022, 08:27 PM

Piano*Dad

Man dies when tree falls on car

I was in the exact area, at almost the exact same time, going in the opposite direction. The rain was blinding ... 2+ inches per hour rate. I didn't see anything. Heck, I could barely see out my front window with the wipers going super fast.

I didn't know about it until my wife and I came back up the road at about 5:45 going to dinner and found the entire road closed off, both ways. At dinner I looked this up and found out what happened. Road was still closed at 7:30 when we were returning. Police have it blocked as they investigate.

10 August 2022, 08:29 PM

BeeLady

OMG! Thank the gods you are ok! What a close call!

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"Wealth is like manure; spread it around and it makes everything grow; pile it up, and it stinks."
MillCityGrows.org

10 August 2022, 08:34 PM

wtg

I remember my grandfather narrowly missed being crushed by a huge branch that cracked off a tree while he was walking home from work.

Glad to hear you're still with us.

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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training

10 August 2022, 08:39 PM

Piano*Dad

So am I, ... so am I.

10 August 2022, 09:04 PM

rontuner

Driving PSA:

Aquapel

I won't drive a car in the rain unless the windshield is treated with this. Makes the rain bead up and run off - especially in those crazy downpours. At highway speed, most of the time I don't need to use the wipers.

I used to be able to find it in auto stores, but have to order it online.

Once, or maybe twice a year treatment...

10 August 2022, 11:00 PM

QuirtEvans

Glad you're OK. Sorry about the other guy.

11 August 2022, 07:03 AM

ShiroKuro

P*D how scary! I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but when I look around here, it seems the tree maintenance leaves a lot to be desired. These kinds of accidents will probably happen more often, between increasingly powerful storms and lack of money for that kind of upkeep.

11 August 2022, 09:26 AM

Piano*Dad

quote:
Originally posted by rontuner:
Driving PSA:

Aquapel

I won't drive a car in the rain unless the windshield is treated with this. Makes the rain bead up and run off - especially in those crazy downpours. At highway speed, most of the time I don't need to use the wipers.

I used to be able to find it in auto stores, but have to order it online.

Once, or maybe twice a year treatment...

I have such a treatment on my windshield, but 2+ inch per hour downpours just create so much mess that you slow to a crawl, or if you're on the highway you pull over to the shoulder, off the road. On neighborhood feeders, I just plowed along, slowly.

11 August 2022, 09:28 AM

Piano*Dad

quote:
Originally posted by ShiroKuro:
P*D how scary! I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but when I look around here, it seems the tree maintenance leaves a lot to be desired. These kinds of accidents will probably happen more often, between increasingly powerful storms and lack of money for that kind of upkeep.

Yeah, I suspect maintenance might be a small part of the problem, but we're not a hugely budget constrained community, and this was inside the town of Williamsburg that has steady income for these things. Our roads are bordered by stately forest trees (oaks, beeches, hickory, and the like). On many roads with one lane each way, like Jamestown Road as it nears our house, the trees form a complete arch.

11 August 2022, 09:37 AM

wtg

Yea, sometimes stuff just breaks.

I can't imagine how the surviving passenger feels.

11 August 2022, 09:50 AM

jodi

How awful.

11 August 2022, 10:01 AM

ShiroKuro

P*D, in that case then maybe just the strength of the storm.

I think I just have an over-amped awareness of tree danger these days!

First, before we had that huge tree removed from the front of our house, I could see what a hazard it was and how less healthy it was compared to other trees around here. Then, a house in our neighborhood had a tree fall on its roof. The damage was comparatively minimal but I just look around all through town now and see trees that probably need to be taken down because they're huge and not super healthy looking. And more to the point, they are either hanging over someone's house, or they stretch out over the road...

Wtg,

quote:
I can't imagine how the surviving passenger feels.

I was thinking that too!

11 August 2022, 10:36 AM

kluurs

But the grace of God... I've been terrified driving in blizzards at night where car lanes disappear and some folks are driving at crazy speeds.

I also thought the same watching the video of the woman who recently killed 6 in a car accident in California - where she ran the light at 80 mph. It wasn't a situation where the light had just changed. There's a certain amount of trust that people are paying attention. It's sad - took out a whole family woman, husband child and child on the way. The irresponsible driver who caused the accident survived. I don't know how she lives with that.

11 August 2022, 11:21 AM

big al

There have been a lot of reports of fallen trees in our region lately. They've been partially due to high winds, but also due to soil so saturated that the roots no longer have good purchase.

We had a large tree fall across our driveway a couple of weeks ago that totaled one car parked there and did damage to another. Fortunately, that occurred during a nighttime storm so there was no one injured.

We had an arborist remove the fallen tree and also another one near it that he said was also in perilous condition.

I'm glad you escaped injury. It's generally more disturbing when a person is near the scene and time of an accident or event. I've had that feeling with increasing frequency as I hear about shootings that occur in places I've frequented or fatal accidents on roads that I travelled.

Big Al

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Money seems to buy the most happiness when you give it away.

Why does everything have to be so complicated, all in the name of convenience. -ShiroKuro

A lifetime of experience will change a person. If it doesn't, then you're already dead inside. -MarkJ

11 August 2022, 11:28 PM

Amanda

quote:
Originally posted by rontuner:
Driving PSA:

Aquapel

I won't drive a car in the rain unless the windshield is treated with this. Makes the rain bead up and run off - especially in those crazy downpours. At highway speed, most of the time I don't need to use the wipers.

I used to be able to find it in auto stores, but have to order it online.

Once, or maybe twice a year treatment...

Ordering it. ASAP

What terrifies me (don't know is it a Corolla failing?) is when the windshield fogs up on the inside from various causes, whether it's hot or cold out.

Then I can't see ANYTHING.
Putting on the AC along with the front defrost helps some, but NOT enough. Why does it happen and what can I do?

(It's already hard enough to try to glass clean it from inside, given my fused back

In fact, I always leave it somewhat smeary. But the fogging up is a mystery.)